


Strength of Starlight

by YumeBanashi



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Other, Paladins, Platonic Relationships, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Slow Romance, Trust, gender neutral reader, reader is a combat doctor, scifi, space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-24 06:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13805826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumeBanashi/pseuds/YumeBanashi
Summary: You have looked through lightyears and distances from constellations to planets, all the while the galaxy was at horrendous stake. Lives were taken from endangered civilizations and innocent races including your departed friends. Even then, the ongoing mission you set off on had resumed, and the only source for help were the remaining memories of your conceivably deceased family. Luckily for you, a paladin of the five lions have landed on the planet you rested on and he was in need of serious aid. Fortunately for him, he was saved by someone who knew more about medicine than anyone he has encountered throughout the solar systems he traveled across.As a member of a new group, you contemplate whether if it was worth the risk of losing something again. You ponder if this was the right path to take. Nonetheless, you needed to complete your voyage. With the defenders of the universe at your side, you continue to search for your lost starlight.





	1. ★The Right Thing★

           Purple. His eyes wandered aimlessly and all around him was faint purple. The only sound to be heard was the bubbling of some liquid. He stared at the ceiling for a couple moments before feeling the sensation of death. His eyes took in every ray of bleary light while debating on whether to get up or not. His muscles were as weak as his energy. However, the beeping and murmuring of noises were enough to snap his eyes open clearer. Then he recognized the symbol.

            His back was immediately up like a pillar. Cold sweat ran down his face and chest. His limbs flexed in shock while he gasped for some needed air.

            No. Not again.

            Voices echoed as he began to hear the faint panting of his breaths. He left the cold metallic bed but suddenly found himself on the ground where he fell. His legs were not responding at the moment, but he pushed himself up again. Finding the exit, he limped through the halls with ragged breathing. Another gasp escaped his lips as he staggered over to the walls that supported him while he walked. A beam of bright light made him look over. Taking a glimpse at a similar room that he was in, he saw himself there. His right arm, once again gone and replaced with a new one. Utensils and razor sharp metal stung at his sides. He was witnessing the flashback of the surgery, watching himself scream in despair before drowning into the chemical waters. It was as if he was in a crazy memory game, and now he wanted nothing but to go back to blackness. 

            “Operation Kuron stage one successful. Begin stage two.”

            For the love of god, not again.

            _‘No, you have to wake up or you die,’_ his mind was telling him. _‘The universe dies.’_

            Blasters aimed to shoot at him while he forgets where he was. He ran straight ahead and managed to use his right arm as he always used to. Jumping on walls and landing right back onto the hallway he sliced the drones in half and groaned after finishing them off. Blinded by an excruciating migraine, the sharp pain in his head pricked every time he lurched over closer to a safe area.

            He reached out for one of their guns lying on the ground. Using the blasters as an advantage, every single one of the bots who tried to stop him fell broken and defeated on the floors. He ran again and finally made it into a small pod. Then he was out of there in just a few seconds.

            The alarm was blaring, but of course he still kept on going. Strangely enough, the blasters shooting at him had stopped. The only problem he was dealing with now was the fire blaring in front of him whilst the pod he was in was landing straight towards the ground of a nearby planet. The alarm grew increasingly louder after each inch closer to land. Then there was a crash followed by darkness familiar as from before.

            The sound of metal creaking and wind whooshing had woken him from a near death fall. He opened his eyes to find himself upside down this time. He could practically feel the blood running down to his head. Grunting, his loosened brain was fully awake now. Looking down he saw he was trapped under a piece of metal and used his arms to try and remove it. Electricity sparked like fireworks and there was no use getting out of the metal. The sound of something falling made him look towards the noise; the gun from earlier. The ship tilted at the edge of the cliff whenever he moved. However he didn’t let that stop him from reaching out to try and grab it.

            After a successful attempt in getting his hands on the gun, he pulled the trigger to free himself of the metal. Falling hard, the pod moved even faster due to the impact of his weight. It slid down the cliff where he had no choice but to jump.

            Scattering up the shattered pod he took a giant leap of life or death. Surprisingly his arms reached the other side of the cliff; it hung loose where one movement of a finger could lead to his end. The pod crashed to the bottom of the cliff while he lifted himself up with haste.

            He lied there on the freezing ice and snow. The flakes gently falling around him was the only thing that helped ease his mind. Where he was he had no idea, but he was away from that dreaded Galra cruiser. Anything was better than that.

            After what felt like an interminable trek, he found shelter for a night. Setting up a fire and settling for the time being, he was reminded of his wound after a sharp pain emerged from his leg when sitting down. He unwrapped the bandage to look at the disturbing gash. He had to do something about it before he was to bleed to death. He used his Galra arm to stop the bleeding. The weapon jabbed into his wound followed by an agonizing scream.

            After he was done, he looked over at the decomposed being he sat under. The large animal’s remaining bones had marks and scratches all over it.  He put his hand and rubbed it gently.

            “What killed you?” he asked the dead creature, knowing well that whatever happened to it could happen to him sometime soon.  

            He set off on another journey across the horrendous ice planet the next day. It felt like weeks walking across a blizzard of snow. It was dry and no different than traveling across the blazing hot desert where he felt like he would collapse and die at any given moment. He crossed his arms and rubbed them as if that would make any difference. His dehydration advanced to the point where it tormented him. His head banged and throbbed once he became desperate for a drink. Luckily he came across a wide lake up ahead. He almost smiled upon seeing it.

            Water.

            He rushed over to it without hesitation. His thirst was like never before, his saliva thick as toothpaste as it gnawed at him. The clean sparkling liquid quenched his parched throat as well as his discomfort. He licked his lips to wet his mouth after guzzling handfuls of more water. During this he was interrupted by something lurking underneath the waters he drank. It slowly proceeded to approach him. Without giving it much thought he waited until he could see the whole thing.

            Mistaken for something harmless, it was already too late to move before the creature jumped out from the waters. It snarled as it used one of its gigantic claws to slice him in half. He was able to avoid its pinchers by moving sideways but he fell far across to the other side. The creature’s insect-like legs were fast enough to catch him off guard. He moved again, just in time to avoid the pinchers.

            The beast growled once more before charging. Its enormous claws reached out to grab at his neck. For a moment he thought that his head would be cut clean off, but it turned out that it was just a distraction. Its tentacles decided to suffocate him instead. His arms moved hurriedly but it too was strapped down to the ground. Unfortunately the grip was too tight, and he felt as if his soul was being sucked out rapidly.

            “H-help,” he choked before his life flashed before his eyes.

            When all hope seemed lost, the grip on his neck loosened. He fell weakly to the ground and coughed to regain his breath. When he looked up he saw a spear-like weapon stuck onto the claw of the creature that tried to take his life just seconds ago. Blasters were soon shot at the monster right before it frantically crawled its way back into the waters. It escaped the glowing staff with ease, but the blasters scared it away.

            The person who saved him stood ground before walking towards him. As much as he wanted to see the face of his rescuer, he caught only a glimpse of them before falling into unconsciousness.

            A miracle had found its way to him.

            ---

            You observed the man that you had unbelievably dragged from the place he fell. You boiled water while sitting patiently in your temporary adobe house in hopes of waking the stranger. You didn’t know why you were doing this, but it was always hard watching a person die before your eyes. Whether you knew them or not, it just wasn’t natural to get used to. Luckily you were able to fool the rebel fighters whom were planning on eating the poor man. You knew that they would come back to find what you were up to. They were persistent like that.

            Before they would come back until God knows when, you tried different ways to wake him up. You were patient but this was for the sake of his life and possibly yours. After all, you were the only human on that tiny ice planet. Of course until he came along.

            Your eyes gazed over his looks. He was well-built, badly in shape but very fit. His hair was long and his face was unshaved. You wondered where he came from. He must have had quite a story to tell. Or maybe not but your curiosity made you restless.

            Speaking of which, he finally made some movement; a twitch of an eye and his head turning towards the sound of the fire crackling. He blinked slowly as his blurry vision came across clearer than before. He noticed your presence and immediately sat up in panic.

            “Whoa, hey there,” you said in surprise.

            You quickly walked over to the man to have him lay back down, but he talked before you could touch him.

            “Where am I?”

            “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you,” you said, putting your hands on his chest to reassure him. “You’re in an adobe house I found not too long ago. I saw you crash landing and getting tangled up with that scorpion. You’re quite the survivor.”

            He relaxed his breathing a little more. The sight of another human person was relieving.

            “What place is this?”

            “Not quite sure myself, some ice planet,” you answered.

            “Sorry if I caused you any trouble.”

            You chuckled at his sudden politeness. “There are all sorts of trouble, but this is nothing.”

            The man looked around the adobe house to find little to no items. “Do you…live here?”

            “Live here? Hell no. I only got here a few days ago. My ship also crash landed. It’s not as bad as yours, but damaged enough that I have some rebel riff raffs repairing some parts.” You stirred something in a heated pot as you talked. “In fact, they might come after you too, so I hope you have a plan of action on leaving soon.”

            You sat back down on your original seat while pouring in some hot tea. They contained herbs that you picked out from various shops around the galaxy and the one you were currently making were some real healing magic.

            “I don’t, but if you would help me, I’ll be on my way as soon as possible. I have to get back to my friends,” he said.

            You stopped pouring your tea. He was a team member and they were waiting for him. Perhaps he was someone important.

            “I know this is a lot to ask, but can you help me?” he asked with desperation.

            You stared down at him in both uncertainty and question.

            “Depends,” you say. “I may have been nice once back there, but I don’t trust as easy. Maybe if you talk about yourself a little bit. What do they call you?”

            He paused to try and comprehend your response. Your shell seemed like a hard one to break, but that was no surprise from any rebel fighter these days.

            “My name is Shiro. I’m a paladin of Voltron. I escaped from the Galra prison before coming here.”           

            He continued to talk about the long journey of his. You sat to listen in amusement and revelation. Before you knew it, your tea was as cold as the snowstorm outside.

            “Paladin…paladin of Voltron? You’re a paladin of of Voltron?”

            Shiro nodded.

            “Wow, I guess you are pretty important.”

            “No, I’m nothing of significance, but I know that my friends are. As a team they can accomplish anything. They took down Zarkon.”

            “I see,” you said with a small smile. “I’m [y/n], it’s an honor meeting you Shiro, paladin of Voltron.”

            You gave him some more tea. He nodded in thanks.

            “How about you? Are you planning on going home after you get out of here?”

            You looked down a bit saddened. You half knew that he would ask that question, but wished that he hadn’t. You didn’t have a place, or a single person to go home to exactly.

            “No, I have to continue my voyage.”

            “Oh, do you have a group to get back to as well?”

            You looked down at your tea again.

            “Not anymore,” you replied. Shiro looked at you puzzled, but you didn’t say much more. “I’m actually searching for someone. It’s been too many years, but I know they’re alive somewhere.”

            “Well don’t give up looking. My teammate is also looking for her family, and she only found a trace of them, but enough information to know that they’re alive. So don’t throw away hope.”

            You gave him a small smile.

            “Thank you Shiro.”

            You gave him his cup of warm liquid. It was bitter and hot, but it didn’t seem to bother him one bit after a single sip. He drank the whole thing in a second like a shot. His face turned to disgust in a matter of a few seconds. He made a sound of revulsion, but after feeling bad he apologized about your drink.

            “Aching parsley. It’s incredible I found some here. They should help with any sore pains in your body,” you said. You didn’t care as it was supposed to taste awful. “You’ll get use to it,” you added.

            “Wow thanks,” Shiro said after finishing his cup. He looked down at the wound on his leg all patched up. “Really, thank you.”

            You mixed more herbs and Shiro noticed the baskets of plants aligned in neat formations.

            “I figure you know a lot about medicine?”

            “I’m a doctor, or was one.”

            “I guess I landed on the right planet.”

            You smiled again, wider this time. It felt good to be of use. It has been too long since you had helped out another human being.

            “You are very lucky sir.” You went to give him some more medicine tea, but were interrupted by a noisy quarrel outside.

            “There! I knew they would be up to something.”

            You set down you tea angrily to get to the door quickly.

            “They couldn’t leave us alone for one night,” you said in irritation.

            “Who are they?” Shiro asked rather calmly.

            “The rebel fighters I was talking about earlier. They’re the noisiest people, you won’t believe.”

            “It’s no use hiding anymore. We know he’s in there!” A voice shouted from outside.

            They banged the walls after a while of no answer. You tempestuously walked over to the door (which was just thick curtains) and opened it.

            “Yeah, so what? He has nothing to do with you guys,” you spat back.

            “Really? Then why did he come down from a Galra ship?” Shiro heard one of them yell from outside.

            “You idiots it’s because he escaped as their captive.”

            The sound of blasters interrupted you once more. You backed off in a yelp and staggered back in front of Shiro who was already up on his feet.

            They easily stepped inside afterwards and you had no choice but to face them. You couldn’t reach your gun or staff all the way across the room. Besides, there was no way to fight the two of them who had blasters ready in their hands.

            “If you want your ship fixed up, then hand over the prisoner.”

            The small one pointed at Shiro, but you stepped in front of him.

            “He’s done being a prisoner and he’s certainly not going to be yours.”

            Shiro was taken aback by you defending him out of the blue. Just how bad were these guys?

            “Hand him over!”

            “Listen, he’s on our side. He fought off Zarkon before. So there’s absolutely no reason you need to take him in.”

            “Fought Zarkon?” The bigger one laughed hysterically. “Stop joking at a time like this, you know our food supply is low.”

            “You’re not going to eat him Remdax.”

            “What makes you think you’re in charge of us?” Remdax roared. Even though he stepped closer, you stood ground.

            “We can’t trust him; he crash-landed in a Galra pod.”

            “Like I said, he was a prisoner. He’s not working for them,” you said, emphasizing your words.

            “How can you be so sure?”

            “Please, I mean no harm at all. I know that it’s hard to trust others during a time like this, but I swear on my life I am not one of them,” Shiro interrupted. “I’ve seen many planets destroyed because of the Galra. They’ve even turned me into one of their fighters along with my team. Because of them I lost good people and friends. But you have to trust me that we’re on your side.”

            You raised a brow at Shiro and looked back over to the two. Just how much did this man go through? You felt a bit of empathy for what he had to experience.

            “Remdax, put your gun down,” the smaller one with the long, dangling mustache said. You wouldn’t have thought that he would believe him so soon.

            You sighed in relief. Shiro was a good talker, a good persuader it seemed. He also seemed sagacious and every word that came out of his mouth was convincing enough that he was on the side of good .

            “Thank you Vakala,” your voice was more gentle now.

            ---

             “Voltron?”

            “What a miracle, they’re actually in the parameter of this dwarf planet.”

            The four of you surrounded a computer the one named Vakala was working on. He made some coordinates to search for the so-called lions.

            “Any way of knowing how long it takes to get to them?” Shiro asked.

            “Not sure, we only know they’re close enough for contact, but they could be quite a ways from here.”

            “Wait, what is that?” you asked, pointing to the red signal that the lions were heading to.

            “If I’m correct, I think that’s a Galra cruiser.” Vakala replied.

             “This is the only chance to get to them. Is my ship able to take off yet?” you asked.

            “Yeahhh about that,” Remdax rubbed the back of his neck.

            “What?”

            He averted his eyes uncomfortably. “There’s a few pieces missing that are necessary to fly, and I think retrieving them would take a few months or so…or never at all…”

            You gave him a poker face. “All we have is that rusty shuttle then,” you sighed as there was no other option. “I don’t know if there’s a way to travel across space to get to Voltron though.”

            “There is one way,” Shiro suggested. “If the Galra cruiser heading there passes close enough to here, then maybe we can hitch a ride. You can find a pod or a ship there to get you to where you need,” Shiro said glancing to you.

            “You just broke out of a Galra cruiser. Are you sure you want to break back in?” you asked with concern.

            “If it’s possible, then yes.”

            “The cruiser is within range but it’s going to make a jump to hyper-drive any time now, if you’re serious about catching up with it then I suggest you two get moving,” Vakala pointed out. 

            You were worried about going in there but you felt as if it was better than staying on that planet for a few more months.

            “Fine, we’d better hurry.”

            ---

            You and Shiro were soon strapped to the seats in the shuttle. You were in control of flying it while Shiro sat behind you. Vakala and Remdax blasted a giant hole in order for the shuttle to take off easier. They waved a hand as a signal that you could depart anytime soon. Remdax and Vakala smiled as you thanked them for their help as well as their trust. You had to admit you were a bit excited as you sensed adventure on this expedition.

            “I wanted to thank you again for everything. I wouldn’t have come this far without your help,” Shiro said.

            “Just trying to do the right thing,” you replied without looking back.

            Not long after did you both arrive upon the battle cruiser. Immediately grabbing your suits and your staff, you left the shuttle on autopilot as the weapon sensors were notified and about ready to shoot at any moment. Vakala warned you two about the defense system programmed to destroy on sight. You and Shiro jumped off rapidly and went ahead towards the blasters to get inside the cruiser once the shuttle had been shattered.

            You two quietly and swiftly made way inside the blasters into the cruiser. Shiro went ahead of you and lead the way. He apparently knew more about the battle ship than you did when you came here a few times on certain missions. The place was like a maze too. It was still as unpleasant as the day you’ve lost one of your friends.

            After taking out a few drones along the way, you both heard the speakers overhead about having a visual on Voltron. It was followed by a loud rumbling and you knew very well that they were under attack at the very moment. Shiro stopped every once in a while to look around and find the ships. Eventually you two made it to the fighters. Each one of them were secured by drones or guards and ready to be sent off soon. Shiro looked back at you to see if you were ready, and saw you nod in response.

            But before you two could go much further, the fighters were aborting the launch. You were both discovered by several drones too. You fought most of them off with your unuasually powerful staff but by the looks of it there wasn’t much time before Voltron would depart. Shiro helped by using his blaster, but you grabbed his shoulders.

            “Listen to me; you have to catch up to your team. They’re not going to find you if they get to me first so get on aboard one of their ships before it’s too late.

            “What about you?”

            “Don’t worry about me, I’ll find a way.” You stabbed a drone through its heart with your glowing staff. “Now hurry, get to Voltron, paladin!”

            Shiro was hesitant at first but after seeing you beating the drones so easily, he had some confidence in you. Uneasy but still assured. He turned away to get inside one of the fighters. Your heard explosions and saw a glimpse of the fighters being destroyed before your eyes. It was obviously Shiro’s doing, and a grin appeared on your face until it was disappeared once your arms were grabbed by a guard. There were too many of them. You didn’t have time to get to one fighter. But at least you took part in saving a man who could save the galaxy once and for all.

            Shiro was currently on his way to venture to Voltron. He located their spot and flew there as fast as the fighter would take him. However, he wasn’t sure if he could catch up to their light speed. Besides, he left his rescuer behind on a Galra cruiser. No matter how strong you looked back there, he had to be sure that you made it out of there before he could continue with his own voyage. It was hard to take his mind off you once he was out of there. He felt guilty, absolutely awful.

            After more thoughts, he turned back and flew off from the path to Voltron and his friends. He wasn’t going to leave until he knew you were safe. How could he leave any one of his allies behind?


	2. ★Unforeseen★

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be making some changes to this chapter because I’m not satisfied with the current plot. In fact I think I will be rewriting most of it. I feel like I wrote this one too quickly without thinking it through carefully enough.  
> Let’s just say I got too excited and later for some odd reason, a better idea popped into my head. I’d like to apologize to the readers who have already read through this one and... well... knows the spoiler that I actually wanted to reveal later on. So sorry about this, you can continue reading it if you want but just so you know, the plot will be changed up a bit. Thank you for understanding, happy reading. :)

           “We have a prisoner.”

            You were shoved by one of the guards who captured you. Some air left your lungs as you fell hard on the floor followed by a rough grunt. Your knees burned from the hard impact of the push, but you sat up with no problem and waited for what you would hear from the superior officer himself.

            “What are they doing here?” he asked with annoyance.

            “They are the one that destroyed our ships sir, along with one of our former prisoners,” the guard answered.

            “Is that so?” the leader walked towards you with a disgruntled look. “So you work for Voltron?”

            You didn’t answer him. There was nothing they could get out of you that would help them in any way. You were sure that you would be thrown about here and there like the rest of the captives forced to fight in rings and arenas. Or they will have you work for them as their servant somehow.

            “Answer or face the consequences.”

            There it is. He was going to interrogate you first. If that failed then it was time for you to head to one of their machines. To torture you until perhaps they decided to kill you off. There wasn’t much room for more prisoners in their cruiser anyway.

            “No, I don’t.”

            “Then how do you explain yourself helping a paladin earlier?”

            You sighed really loudly. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s because I’m against you freaks.”

            The guard behind you almost had a heart attack. Your fearless attitude made him nearly choke on his own spit. The superior officer raised his brows in distaste.

            “Sir, the previous prisoner is heading this way.” A radio call from one of the speakers blurted out.

            Your eyes widened in shock. It was unquestionably Shiro, but why exactly was he coming back? Perhaps he couldn’t catch up to his team, but that was no excuse for flying back to the cruiser. Just what was he thinking?

            “Well, it looks like we’ll be having one more guest,” he said. “Put them where the rest are.”

            You gritted your teeth in aggravation while you felt hands on your shoulders being grabbed onto. What bothered you most though was that Shiro had come to your rescue. Unsurprisingly they tossed you inside one of their cells after taking your staff. You were distressed to have your weapon separated from you, and your eyes followed to where they took it to. You would have to get it back first thing after you escape.

            On his way back to the cruiser, Shiro had unimaginably avoided the firearms blasting at him. As he had done so many times before, he slipped through security without causing a huge commotion. Soon he arrived in a hallway of many other captives. They sat there in complete silence as if they would be shot if made any noise or sudden movement. Some whimpered and others were shaking in trepidation. He searched for wherever you could be.

            Shiro ambled his way through the jail of prisoners, and then finally he found you.

            “[y/n].”

            You looked up to see him there and drew in a sharp breath. You saw him back up a few steps as a sign that he was going to shoot down the locks to free open the door. You scattered to get up and backed up to a wall as well. Once the blasters set off, the lock was opened and the latch fell to the floor. Immediately, Shiro grabbed your hand in a means of escape. He really came back. But for what?

            “Just what the hell are you thinking?” you shouted at him.

            You stopped as did Shiro who looked back at you perplexed.

            “Saving you.”

            “I told you not- You need to get back to Voltron. I’ve broken out of dozens of cells before. There’s no reason for you to come back.”

            “I will get back to Voltron, no matter what, but listen here; this isn’t just any prison. You do not want to be stuck here. I’ve done it twice already and believe me, for the rest of your life, they’re going to feed you trash and have you fight to the death. You’ll suffer eternally unless you actually find a way to escape or someone come gets you. Can you really tolerate that?” Shiro raised his voice just a little.

            You stared at him as if you’d explode. He was so out of character, far from what you would expect from him. You registered what he had said after glancing at the ground and back up to catch his eyes.

            “Now let's go.”

            Shiro ran, but this time without holding your hand, knowing you would follow along. On the way back out from where he came in, you remembered the one thing you couldn’t leave without.

            “Hold on a second.”

            “What are you doing? We have to go now.”

            You ignored him and went in to one if their weapon storages. “It has to be here somewhere. Where did those bastards put it?”

            “[y/n],” Shiro called your name in a harsh whisper. “What are you doing? One blaster is enough, it’s now or never.”

            “You don’t understand, I can’t leave without that staff.”

            “Why?”

            “It’s one of the only things I have against the Galra. It’s important to me.”

             “Well, we need to hurry.” Blasters began shooting at him but he shot back.

             You ran out to check some of the other rooms but found it nowhere. Then you stumbled across it in a completely separate area. Shiro had trouble catching up, but headed over closer to you anyway. Your staff was in a box full of other Galra weaponry, but you were able to catch which one was yours. It stood out from the rest in a bright magenta glow. Without wasting any more time, you quickly grabbed the one.  

            Shiro gazed at it intensely. “Is that maybe a Galra weapon?”

            You sneered at him before running ahead. “Better hustle along.”

            Shiro thought long and hard about where you could have obtained it, but waited on that thought for later. Right now he was focused on getting out of the cruiser. Again.

            You both encountered a few guards but you charged at them with confidence. Raising your two bladed staff upwards, you slashed at them one by one with ease. Shiro was impressed that he barely had to pick up his gun or use his arm.

            Continuing on the way to Shiro’s previous escape route, you noticed the other captives. They were paralyzed with fear as you could practically hear their heart rates beat faster. They were twitching under the soft treading of your footsteps. Your fingers curled into a fist, the nails digging into the palms of your gloves. You wanted to save them, but there was no time. You were vexed about the fact that you couldn’t make time.

            Sooner or later you two were surrounded. The drones were ready to fire, but they stopped until given further commands.

            “What now?” you turned to Shiro.

            Shiro’s breath hitched as he had no idea how to answer your question. This couldn’t be it, he’s gotten this far. Perhaps breaking in the cruiser twice was a risk, but part of him was proud that he was able to get you out alive. But that would be no use if they lost here now. All he had to do was think. He tried to come up with a plan, anything at all. His eyes scanned the hallway before it overlooked a large and round door. It was a compact hangar.

            “We fight these ones, and then we head out there.” Shiro gestured his head towards the vault.

            With this many drones it was one of the only options. He was crazy, but you nonetheless complied with his plan.

           At the same instant, you and Shiro pushed each other’s backs. Using his proficient right arm, Shiro sliced the drones in half on his side. You did the same with your two bladed staff on your side. Charging for one of them, your staff sheared off the drone in half. You dodged a few shots and skillfully headed their way while spinning your weapon. You chopped off their heads and saw the electricity spark from their deceased necks. Shiro currently had three drones on his back and so you threw your staff at one of them just in time before they could strike. It stuck through the core of the drone and fell hard on the ground.

            Shiro quickly went over to open the vault while you fought a few more off.

            “Grab onto something!”

            He had already pressed the button. The majority of the drones were projected outside in a split second. You stabbed your staff into the floor and hung onto it as much as your strength would allow you to do so. Shiro grabbed onto the thick stave that had the button on top of it. Once the rest of the drones were ejected into space, Shiro tried and reached out to close it. However, the force was too powerful that he was starting to slip. You were also beginning to lose your grip, but more importantly your staff was slowly losing its balance. It couldn’t hold on anymore. Eventually it pulled out from the ground; you flew out just like the rest of the drones.

            Shiro yelled your name, and then he too was ejected. Mercifully, the two of you were in fact wearing suits, but it wasn’t functioning properly like before. Yours was more damaged than his though.

            Shiro saw you drifting afloat with pieces of metal and steel surrounding you. He flew towards you and noticed something was wrong with his suit as well. The jetpack on his used to fly was buffering as it appeared to be at its limit, and it ultimately stopped working. Once he made it over to you, he observed your suit as well. There was a crack on the corner of your helmet which explained why you were having trouble breathing. Your oxygen level was low and your eyes were closed, nearly drifting. You were fading gracefully. For the first time since his escape, Shiro had really started to panic.

            “Hey, stay with me,” he said, grabbing your helmet to turn your head towards him cautiously.

            Your rasped breathing was getting slower by the second. Your eyelids gingerly opened to reveal Shiro looking agitated and distraught. His expression made you feel awful. He tried pulling you with him to carry you over to the cruiser, but it was too far away. His suit was not working either.

            “I’m sorry,” you heard him say quietly. “This is my fault.”

            You wanted to say something, but the lack of oxygen was too much to bear. You two stayed still and silent for a brief moment. There was only a slight exception for help.

            Then on the perfect timing, Shiro sensed a strange and raw energy coming from afar.

            While he tried to figure out the grasp of the spiritual sensation, he heard something out there; something robust and abnormal. Two bright yellow lights gleamed across from him. He mistook the illumination for a couple of stars at first, but the booming roar assured his prediction. It wavered over to you who he carried in his arms.

            At long last he was found. The black lion had saved you both.

 

            ---

 

            The doors to the black lion opened to allow Shiro in. He carried you bridal style while you were barely conscious.       

            “Shiro…” His friend walked up to him motionless. He was white as chalk, but not as pale as your skin at the moment.

            “It’s good to see you Keith.” Shiro settled you down on one of the seats, a breath left his lungs. “They need help; their suit has been damaged since we were pulled out from there.”

            Keith looked down at your figure. “Who are they?”

            “Someone who saved me more than twice already,” Shiro answered.

            Keith promptly sat down to fly the black lion back over to the castle. Shiro was glad that the person he trusted had taken over as the leader during his absence. Meanwhile Keith couldn’t help but ask more questions after finding his long missing friend.

            “Where have you been?” he asked.

           “I don’t remember exactly what happened. Once I charged for Zarkon, it was like there was this crash I was sucked into, and suddenly it was… black.” He sighed after refocusing.

            It seemed like it had been far too long after he awoke inside the cruiser. The many thoughts of what the Galra did to him had crossed his mind multiple times. It didn’t seem to bother Keith as much however. It was because he was too happy to find his close friend alive, even after everyone assumed he was gone for good. He was distracted by contentment that he didn’t have room in his head for any assumptions right now.

           “So, who is this?” Keith asked, gesturing his head to you.

           “Their name is [y/n], they’re my rescuer,” Shiro introduced. “I met them when I crash landed on a nearby planet where I was nearly killed. I should also mention that they’re a doctor.”

           Keith listened to him talk about you while he concentrated on flying. He was becoming inquisitive about you as well as Shiro’s disappearance. Of course there would be more time to discuss that once you all arrived at the castle. Speaking of which, the other paladins were informed about finding Shiro. They were ecstatic about meeting him, but Shiro wanted to prepare himself first before they were to see him in such a state. He wanted to be ready both physically and mentally. 

            You were immediately taken to the castle infirmary where the healing pods were. When put inside, Keith led Shiro to his original room to rest up. From what their old friend Coran could tell, you had done a phenomenal job in healing Shiro. He just needed to rest up.

            Keith was standing outside your pod while the rest were working on fixing the damaged parts of the castle. They were planning to stop somewhere before setting off on a long voyage once again. He observed your feautures while you slept peacefully. He noticed the faint purple marks on the sides of your face that started right from your ears. There was a smaller streak on your chin as well. He wondered where you were from. Unknown as to why, he was drawn to you, like something was calling him. It was as if he knew you.  

            After some time, the healing pod you were put inside had opened up. Thankfully you became conscious before almost falling face flat on the ground. You were still drowsy though, and the whole room was a blur. For a split second, you thought you were back on the Galra cruiser. But then someone came running up to you.

            “You alright there?” You heard the male’s voice. It was obviously different from Shiro’s.

            “Y-yeah,” you mumbled quietly.  

            You noticed a few others come in from the door. You looked around, your view much clearer now. Then your eyes gazed over to the young man who was currently helping you stand.

            “Where am I?” you asked him.

            “You’re inside an Altean ship. Shiro brought you along, he told me about you.”

            You sighed in relief. At least you were out of the cruiser. However, what was this about an Altean ship? Who were they? Where was Shiro? Questions were flooding inside your head.

            “Who are you people?” you asked finally.

            “I’m Keith. These guys over there, that’s Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and princess Allura. They’re-err-we’re paladins of Voltron. You’re [y/n] right?” Keith asked. He looked oddly concerned. The others that he just named were also looking at you in attentiveness.

           "Yeah," you exhaled and found your voice.

            Wait a second.

            “Keith? Did you say your name is Keith? Kogane?”

            You stood there with your eyes widened, and a shimmer of hope glistened across it. Keith looked at you puzzled, not really knowing what was going on; he only questioned you in silence. You held onto your gaze with his alone, ignoring the fact that everyone was watching the both of you in even more confusion.

            “It's me...[y/n],” you started. Keith only glowered at you suspiciously.

            “Perhaps they’re an old friend?” The eccentric female proposed. She had beautiful markings and white hair tied up in a bun. Her suit was exactly like the rest of the others were wearing except the colors were pink and white. Overall she was a gorgeous woman. Unmistakably the princess.

            “Yes,” you answered. You stood up normally as you let go of him to take a better look. There was no doubt it was him. "You could say we were almost like...siblings," you confessed.

            This time everyone stared at Keith who didn't process what you had just said. He thought that they should be looking at you instead. He never remebered having a real friend back then. It was only recently he figured out the true meaning of friendship since Voltron happened. He barely remembered his own parents, especially his mother, but he never has he met you before. He was sure of it.

            He noticed everyone waiting for a response and so he decided to say it straight. Keith uncrossed his arms and furrowed his brows at you.

            “What are you saying? I never saw you in my life before.”

            You were disheartened, saddened to find that he doesn't remember you. Or maybe he does, but he just didn't want to admit he knew you before.

            “Sure it was long ago, but there's no way you could of forgotten our times together.”

            The tone in your voice made Keith feel guilty, but no matter how hard he tried to recollect his past, there was no you. There was never a sibling. You saw his eyes trying to stay in one place, but all hopes were lost when he looked back at you in even more question. Who are you to him? You tried again.

            “The last time we saw each other was...was when I left to search for your mother. You were about eight when I started fighting with the Galra rebels.”

            Keith, as well as the rest of the paladins listened to you intently. You didn't want to go so deep into your story, but there was no other choice. He didn't know who he was at all. Something, or someone, had taken his memories away.

            “I came back to our old house, but you were gone,” you said with shame in your voice. “I even went to the Garrison, but they say you were kicked out and eventually I found that you left somewhere. It was classified information. I knew that you weren’t on earth, that much I figured out so I searched for you with my crew. We fought cruisers after cruiser and later on I became the only one to find what was left of me, even though I almost doubted that my childhood friend was still out there alive somewhere.”

            Keith's eyes widened.

            “But you're here. And you're a paladin of Voltron. Your mother would be so proud,” you said lastly.

            Keith didn’t know what to say. He somewhat believed you, but something was telling him not to unless there was proof. You also seemed like you knew about his mother more than him. He wanted to know. He had to know.

            “What...what happened?” Keith asked, regarding the incident during your leave.

            “I’m not quite sure,” you answered disappointingly. Then you remembered the other’s presence from their reactions to this. “I’m sorry, could you guys leave us alone for a moment please?” you asked the fellow paladins politely.

            The princess and the child with the glasses seemed to be more understanding of the situation and were the first ones to leave. The two boys were a bit unsure as they looked at each other with concern, but they didn’t have a problem with the two of you talking anyway. Although hesitant, they were the last ones to stay in the room before they too left you and Keith alone. There wasn’t exactly trust between you and them yet. It was disappointing but not surprising.

            “Look, I appreciate you saving Shiro, but I don’t think I know you at all. You can’t just say all these things at once,” Keith said sounding frusturated.

            “What else am I supposed to do? Keep silent until all this is over? I wouldn’t have flown out here if I didn’t have someone to look for,” you fired back.

            “I just-I’m sorry,” Keith sighed. “It’s just all too complicated right now.”

            “It’s shocking I know, but I can tell you’ve dealt with many surprises before,” you said. “You don’t have to accept it right away; I’m not expecting you to. But please, all I’m asking from you is to try and remember as much as you can.”

            Keith averted his eyes to the ground and crossed his arms. He was clearly confused and stressed from all of the sudden reveal right now. The look on his face when he frowned was no different than the one you always saw on him as a kid. It was nostalgic, and you wanted nothing more than to bring that back. Because of his uncertainty and the possible delusion you had of him, you weren't even sure if he was really your brother. You were only convinced because he had the same name.

            “I regret that we only had such a short amount of time together, but we were close,” you lamented. “If only I had stayed a little longer.”

            Keith saw your brooding eyes as he decided to get more information out of you.

            “Do you remember what my dad was like?” Keith asked while you reminisced the times with your childhood friend.

            You were more pleased now that he was willing to try.

            “He uh…” 

             _‘Come on, he’s relying on you. Please don’t ruin this.’_

“He was always there for you when your mother was gone. Actually, he was there for you all the time. He’d always pack lunch for school; I would help him make dinner when he was working. He’d get mad at me for teaching you to ride a motorcycle during my free time,” you chuckled. You swore you saw Keith smile a little.  

            Keith listened and tried his utmost to recollect those moments. He never even thought about what that felt like. Even after the short memory of his father at the Blade of Mamora.

            “What about my mother?” Keith asked. “When did she leave? What was she like?”

            You were more apprehensive about the memory of Keith’s mother. She was barely there with either of you. A few years after she birthed Keith however, she left for good. Heartbrokenly, you had done the same thing. But since you were older, you had an idea of what she was like at least. Keith’s intensive stare gave you immense pressure. You couldn’t think of anything that he would also recall because well, he wouldn’t know what you would be talking about at all.

            “Your mother? She was...well…” You tried to think. “She was barely on earth, so…” You fidgeted your fingers and moved your left foot around in small circles.

            Keith looked down in despondency. Oh no, you’re letting him down.

            “From what I remember the most from her...she was beautiful,” you said quickly. “Beautiful and strong.”  

            Keith looked up, a bit more attentive in what you had to say. There, he was finally getting on with your conversation now. You felt forced to remember at first, but you relaxed a little more to think. 

            “She’d show me-she’d show us the constellations,” you corrected yourself before continuing. “She would point out each star and I’m sure both you and I had no idea what she was saying, but she was passionate about explaining the planets and the solar systems, I was sure of it.”

            Keith lightly chuckled this time. That was a good sign. But that was all you could recollect right now. You barely remembered any good times except sitting outside on the cold grass with the family you wished you always had.

            “I’m sorry,” you apologized with your sincerest regrets. “The only other thing I remember from her is the time she left.”

            You were hesitant, but decided to describe the event anyway. “You were so young. Perhaps only three or four years of age. I could still carry you then.” You swallowed hard. “The time she left, your father wasn’t there. She said she had some sort of duty to tend to. I didn’t understand then, in fact, I still don’t. However she did say it was important so that we and the others living on earth would be happy.”

            You grabbed your staff that was previously attached to your back. Your fingers slid down the flat side of the blade as you rubbed it. 

            “She gave me this before she left. Of course it was still just a knife back then.”

            Keith looked at it curiously and you handed it over for him to observe. It sat on the palms of his hand as he admired the gift. It was one other thing that was close to the memories of his mother.

            “Did she say anything else?” Keith asked. 

            “Yes. She told me to watch over you and your father.”

            Again, Keith froze just a little. He was beginning to get furious at the cause of his faded memories. Whatever the cause was. One way to know for certain about the revelations of his past life was to believe you bit by bit.

            “Are we good here?” you asked him in a tetchy tone. You held out your hand.

            “Yeah, I guess so,” Keith said.

            He handed back your staff. Once it was in your hands, it gradually formed into the small knife which explained your relationship with it. This seemed to have convinced Keith.

            “You…you also have Galra blood.”

            “Why wouldn’t I?” 

            There was no other explanation. This was already proof enough. Keith smiled. It was almost a heartfelt smile. You looked back at him with bewilderment. However, Keith couldn't help but ask you what's been meddling inside his head. 

           "You said that you set out to find me and mother correct? What's your relationship with her? Us?"

           You understood his question as a way to get some backgrounf infromation out of you. You weren't sure where to start.

           "Are you even from Earth?" Keith inquired.

           "Yes, from what I was told, I was born on earth. My parents died when I was too young to even remember." You looked straight into his eyes and answered without lying. "Your mother...helped me figure out what part of me is... but I still can't conclude what had happened when I was born or who my parents actually were. You can say that this is why I'm here. To look for answers." 

           Your earliest memories did consist of someone in your life on earth who had actually taken care of you for some time. But they were locked far away inside your mind, and it was hard to grasp them since it was so long ago. Once they were swept away, all you could remember now was Keith's family. How they had decided to watch after you. Although you were alone for most of the time to take care of yourself, you couldn't have been happier.

            “I believe you. Let’s hope we find what we're both looking for,” Keith answered finally. After hearing your story, he wanted to help you now.

            Your expression changed to a delighted twinkle.

            “Let’s not just hope. We  _will_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Survived season 5. Season 6 is going to destroy me. Also [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hi9EIKYRUo) totally matches Shiro.


End file.
